Topic

Business

Commentary

Seven reasons why your company should do scenarios as part of strategic foresight

The aim of strategic foresight is to find insight in long-term trends that are observable and actionable today. The method to do this is the creation of alternative futures. There are two main tools to create alternative futures: future states, which are like “a photo taken from the future”, and…

Why your company needs strategic foresight and what will result out of it

The role of foresight should be as the basis for strategic planning and decision-making – it challenges the company to redefine its strategies to fit societal development better. It is important to remember that strategic foresight is not about predicting the future, which is inherently impossible. When we talk about…

What can workplaces learn from early childhood education about learning? 5 tips from Finnish kindergarten teacher

In the report about the future of work for the Finnish Prime Minister’s office, we noticed that the most essential skill in the work life of the future is learning. It might even go further – work will become learning.

The fall of the platform business model

The end of platforms as we have known them seems to be around the corner. This blog is the third (and last) chapter in our blog series “Rise and fall of the platform business”. 

Four reasons why competitive advantage from data is disappearing

The end of platforms as we have known them seems to be around the corner. This blog is the second chapter in our blog series “Rise and fall of the platform business”. 

The secret ingredient of the first generation platform business

The end of platforms as we have known them seems to be around the corner. This blog is the first chapter in our blog series “Rise and fall of the platform business”.

Publications

Navigating the green transition – a toolkit for developing key skills in organisations

What if green skills were more than technical expertise? The Green Skills Radar helps Finnish organisations integrate transformative mindsets and leadership into sustainability strategies. With tools for skill assessments and practical recommendations, it guides teams to navigate change, fostering adaptability and collaboration for a successful green transition.

Skopegy: Strategy in the 21st century

Our collective future depends on the ability of all organisations to not only react to changes in the world but recognise and embrace the agency they hold to intentionally build better future societies. The approach presented in this white paper is Demos Helsinki’s attempt to provide one concrete way out of the methodological dead end stifling the private sector’s capability for meaningful and ambitious transformation.

Bees and Trees – Unique Partnerships to Co-create Sustainable Business

This manual presents a model for strategic partnerships between small companies (bees) and large companies (trees) for the co-creation and development of groundbreaking products and services. This need is particularly relevant in the field of consumer cleantech, where changes in consumer behaviour are often radical and systemic. Small companies and startups…

Projects

Impact of algorithmic management on workers

In this digital era, the prevalent use of algorithmic management in the workplace has created a new set of challenges for workers and labour unions. This project studies the profound effects of algorithmic management on workers and labour organising in the Nordic context.

Exploring the future of Sub-Saharan agriculture

In late 2022, Demos Helsinki facilitated a series of workshops to enable national agri-food organisations in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania to define new opportunities and risks by looking at long-term changes in agriculture.   The Beyond Farming Collective — a 3-year programme led by Bopinc — aims to establish a…

Think Sustainably: Incentivising sustainable choices in cities

Think Sustainably is an online service that incentivises and encourages sustainable choices in city living and urban tourism. Currently in use both in Helsinki and Tampere, it has been an essential tool for accelerating the cities’ transition to carbon neutrality.   Cities can drive the transformation For a while now,…

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